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Not Much Fire in These Dragons

Denise Flaim | Animal House

May 28, 2002

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Move over, Iggy.

Until recently, green iguanas ruled the herp world. But their popularity has been overshadowed by a quirky Australian known as the bearded dragon.

Among reptiles, "beardies are probably tied right now with leopard geckos as the most popular pet," says Liz Palika, author of "Your Bearded Dragon's Life" (Prima, $14.99) and the owner of three beardies - King Tut, a bright yellow/gold male, and his harem, Cleo and Asp. "They are smaller than green iguanas, easier to handle, yet big enough that they are not fragile."

Dominic Bellissimo, 8, of Oceanside, concurs. "He's, like, really cute and fun to play with," he says about his bearded dragon, Dante. "And he feels so cool."

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Indeed, beardies, as they are affectionately called, have the appeal of the exotic - the flap of skin under the jaw puffs out and turns black when they are feeling territorial or romantic - while being relatively manageable in terms of care.

If a beardie - formally known as Pogona vitticeps - is to make it to the decade mark, and even beyond, proper care is crucial.

"They need a large cage," Palika stresses. "Four feet by 2 feet by 2 feet is a minimum."

Jackie Vandiver, a breeder from Knob Noster, Mo., suggests starting off with a 10-gallon tank for youngsters. While beardies reach full size - about 2 feet long - in their first year, "if you go too big to start off with, it overwhelms them."

A desert dweller, the beardie requires a thermal gradient in its enclosure, that is, a range of daytime temperatures from cool on one end (starting in the low 80s) to warm (90 to 95 degrees) on the other. Be diligent: Inadequately low temperatures can lead to respiratory infections.

Though pet stores will try to sell you a "hot rock," Vandiver advises against it. "Beardies absorb heat from the top, not the bottom," she says. A simple basking log or river rock will suffice. In addition to a heat lamp, you'll need a full-spectrum light to simulate natural sunlight, which your beardie needs to synthesize certain vitamins in its diet.

While Vandiver feeds her 50 adult bearded dragons a pellet-based diet supplemented with fresh greens, Palika prefers a more natural menu.

"Beardies are true omnivores and should eat insects and plant matter," she explains. "The plants should be a varied diet of grasses, weeds and veggies." Hers get Romaine lettuce, red and dark green lettuces, kale, mustard greens, grated squash, grated carrots and rose blossoms. Keep fruit to a minimum.

As for insects, crickets are a staple, augmented by mealworms and waxworms. (Optimally, "gut load," or feed, the crickets before serving.) Twice a week or so, the live food should be dusted with supplements containing calcium and vitamin D-3. Palika will occasionally give her herps a "pinkie," or baby mouse. "The beardies love them," she concedes. "However, I would prefer to see the mice live to grow up!"

Be sure to take size into account when feeding your beardie, which can get blockages from eating oversized prey. One rule of thumb: nothing larger than the distance between the beardie's eyes.

When buying a baby bearded dragon - virtually all of those sold in this country are captive bred - Vandiver says to ask for one that is at least 2 1/2 months old and at least 6 inches long. Watch out for parasites such as mites; check that its eyes are clear and the base of its tail is fat and not bony.

While Palika says male beardies kept without females can become "frustrated and antsy," females do just fine alone. She keeps all three of hers together, which means that in springtime, which is breeding season in southern California, Tut turns on the charm. By summer, the females lay eggs once a month, stopping during fall and winter.

If baby beardies are in your life plan, you'll need to incubate the eggs. Vandiver's method is to put each egg in a vermiculite- filled cup, place them in an incubator, and wait up to two months for hatchlings.

As with most reptiles, careful but consistent handling will result in a tame beardie. (Though bearded dragons are characteristically docile, even in the wild, stay away from bright red nail polish, Vandiver advises. Your fingers will look like prey and might invite a bite.) And as with all reptiles, wash your hands after handling to avoid salmonella contamination.

"They're very in tune with everything going on outside their enclosure," says Vandiver, whose husband takes two to three beardies to his computer-programming job every day. "They sit on the dash of the car - they love being with you."